I’m Just Saying

Rambling Thoughts About Having The House Painted, Again

/ Ally Bean / 20 Comments

Decades ago we painted the exterior of our first home together.  That is something that a married couple does once, if they want to stay married.  So late last summer, knowing that it was time to re-paint this house, I began the task of trying to find a painter who would:

  1. take my call;
  2. be available this spring/summer/fall to paint our house;
  3. have decent references [or no outstanding warrants];
  4. show up;  &
  5. actually know how to paint.

# # #

This is not the first time we’ve hired professional painters to paint the outside of a house that we owned.  Happily, our first experience was good, albeit noisy and chaotic.  The crew of 12 men swarmed the house like ants to a picnic, but after a hectic 2 days the house looked nice.

# # #

DSCN3084

About 70% of our house is brick.  The brick has some bluish-greenish gray in it which softens the bricky color and allows the house to blend into nature year round.  The mortar between the bricks is a soft tan/gray color which provides a small contrast with the brick.  Nothing too dramatic.

# # #

Our second experience with a professional painting company was difficult and frustrating.  I don’t think that the painters used the correct color on the house and the whole mess ended with Z-D, Esq, applying a bit of legal pressure to make certain that the yokels painters fulfilled the conditions of the contract.  When this bunch finished painting the house, it did not look so wonderful.

# # #

Screen Shot 2014-07-21 at 9.38.49 AM

For the 30% of the house that is painted we chose Sherwin-Williams 7029 Agreeable Gray.  I would describe it as a more warm than cool light gray shade that is about as neutral as our mortar, but doesn’t look dreary at all.  In fact, we painted a test of it on two side of the house last fall, then watched to see how it looked during the winter & spring.  It’s pretty.

# # #

This, our third experience with professional house painters, has been the best to date– that is, if this man and his on-again off-again crew ever finish.  We’re into week 5 now, so this has been slow project.  Fortunately this bunch is tidy, polite and show up when they say they will + they are doing a wonderful precise job, so however long it takes is fine by me.

# # #

Screen Shot 2014-07-21 at 9.40.01 AM

The shutters will be re-painted Sherwin-Williams 6216 Jasper.  It’s the same dark green color that they’ve been since we had the house built.  I like this color because there is a definite contrast with the brick and when there is only grayness outside during the winter, this subtle green shade cheers my soul.

A Blog Post Confirming That Responsible Adults Do Not Lead Interesting Lives

/ Ally Bean / 34 Comments

DSCN2785

Nothing to see here.  Move along. 

• • •

It is Tuesday morning and I am without a single topic or event to share with you, my gentle readers.  Usually something happens in my life during the week, something that prompts me to write a story, add some photos, share a few links, ponder a thought.

• • •

But today I am without flapdoodle, images, twaddle or pithiness.  ‘Tis a sad day, indeed.

• • •

Instead of something interesting to talk about, my responsible adult life of late has revolved around:

  • annual doctors’ visits;
  • watching painters paint the exterior of our house;
  • car & SUV repairs;
  • hand-washing dishes in the sink because the dishwasher is leaking;
  • haircut + skin care;
  • cleaning out the garage;
  • a few martinis;  and
  • planning a couple of social events for later this month.

• • •

So let me ask you, my gentle readers: what have you been up to lately?  Do tell in the comments below.

June 2014 NaBloPoMo: I Posted, I Commented, I Made A List & Now I’m Finished

/ Ally Bean / 35 Comments

Screen Shot 2014-06-25 at 10.04.53 AM

– – • – –

The final writing prompt for June 2014 NaBloPoMo is:

“Leave your readers this month with commentary about their comments.”

My commentary is: 

You, my gentle readers, are the best.  I’m grateful for your kind interest, thought-filled comments and support.  I realize that you arrived here from all over the place:

I appreciate you making your way here, and as a way of saying thank you I’ve compiled the following list of everyone with a blog who commented on The Spectacled Bean during this month.

– – • – –

My List Of Blogs Written By People Who Know How To Comment

– – • – –

NaBloPoMo_June_Comment

Even Though The Hallmark Movie Channel Has Betrayed Me, I Have Learned A Lesson

/ Ally Bean / 20 Comments

WHILE I HESITATE TO ADMIT that I’m aware of anything as sappy as The Hallmark Movie Channel, I feel that I must share with you, my gentle readers, how they have betrayed my forgiving nature.

This is a straightforward story in which I was willing to overlook their sentimental twaddle basic programming because every afternoon they were showing The Good Wife, an award-winning TV show that I’ve always wanted to see. 

In fact, I had even begun to arrange my day in such a way as to make certain that I caught at least one episode of The Good Wife, a modern-day TV show that features a strong female lead in difficult situations that she handles without Prince Charming rescuing her.

# # #

Screen Shot 2014-06-25 at 5.14.46 AM

Above is the Hallmark Movie Channel schedule for The Good Wife in which we see that the Hallmark Movie Channel just stopped showing The Good Wife.  * bippity boppity boo*  It’s gone.  Wave bye-bye.

# # #

FURTHER, I’LL EVEN ADMIT THAT last Friday afternoon when I viewed what has now become my last episode of The Good Wife, a well-paced finely nuanced TV show, I was so thrilled by the cliff hanger plot line that I spent moments of my weekend looking forward to seeing the next episode on Monday afternoon.

But it was not to be.  No, when I sat down on Monday afternoon to watch The Good Wife, a smart TV show filled with legal issues and moral quandaries, it was not there.  Instead, The Hallmark Movie Channel was airing…  [ready for this?]… Diagnosis Murder, an old-time TV show, starring Dick Van Dyke, that I vaguely remember as something my mother used to watch way back when.

I’m hurt by this betrayal;  I won’t lie.  But mostly it confirms my suspicions that cable TV’s death is closer than we think it is.  Thanks to The Hallmark Movie Channel I’ve now learned for certain that web-based programming, like Netflix or Hulu, is the way to watch TV shows when your life is busy– and you can’t dork around with cable channels.